I have been reading a little about Indian history and in particular the Kingdom of Mysore. During the late 18th century it was apparently run at least in a military sense by Haider Ali and then Tipu Sultan. But the kingdom was established by the house of Wodeyar and they were the nominal rulers of the later princely state of Mysore. Who was the actual ruler during this era?
Well, you answered it yourself: Haider Ali, then Tipu Sultan were the de facto rulers of Mysore, while the House of Wodeyar retained nominal rulership of the kingdom. It should also be understood that the period preceding the rise of Haider Ali also saw more power delegated to the Dalavoys of Mysore, which had already, in essence, relegated the monarchs to titular heads. This is at best a basic summary of the situation- but then again, I'm not sure what else you may want to know.